Woman with Guitar. Paul Garon

The only full-length biography in existence of a legendary American blues master, acknowledged as a major influence by musicians as diverse as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Johnny Shines and Big Mama Thornton.At a time when organized feminism was at its lowest ebb, Memphis Minnie, a black working-class woman called no man master, defied gender stereotypes, and exemplified a radically adventurous lifestyle that makes most careers of the '20s and '30s seem dull by comparison.Drawing on folklore, psychoanalysis, critical theory, women's studies and surrealism, the authors' inspired explorations of Minnie's lyrics illuminate the poetics of popular culture of the time as well as the largely hidden history of working-class women's self-emancipation.Out of print for many years, this edition is an expanded version, including a previously unknown photo of Minnie and pages and pages of new biographical material: from information gleaned from census figures from her childhood days to a full listing of her nightclub appearances; an updated discography; and more.